The Three Biggest Myths About Retail Workers

Employees at Walmart, the world's largest retailer,
are striking for the first time in 50 years.

It's hard to believe it took so long. Walmart is a massive
corporation, yet many workers receive low wages and are denied
benefits.

But a couple of big myths about retail workers keep the public
from believing they should receive higher healthcare and
benefits,
according to a report by Stephanie Luce at City
University of New York and Naoki Fujita at the Retail Action
Project.

These perceptions are dangerous because they affect more
than 14 million retail workers.

Here are some of the biggest myths that hold retail workers
back:

MYTH 1: Most retail workers are teenagers with little
education or experience. Not so: according to the
National Retail Federation, 70 percent of workers are older
than 25 and more than half have a college education.

MYTH 2: Retail workers are "part-time" and aren't
entitled to healthcare benefits, sick days or time
off. The majority of retail workers are full-time
(more than two-thirds, according to the NRF), yet don't get any
benefits.

MYTH 3: Retail workers are young people with few
responsibilities. About 30 percent of people surveyed
by Luce and Fujita supported dependents on their income. Yet,
the average hourly wage was only $10 an hour, with many
employees making less than that.

These myths about retail workers hold millions of people back
from getting better pay and benefits. The truth is that most
employees rely on their jobs to make a living and support a
family.

If the public realized this, retail workers like those at Walmart
would have more support in their plight.